Just the ticket

Treat yourself over the holidays to Belgium’s rich cultural offerings. Need inspiration? Find it here, in the holiday plans of some of The Bulletin’s friends and neighbours

1 Belgian rock band Puggy is pure Brussels: bassist Romain Descampes is French, vocalist Matthew Irons is English and drummer Egil "Ziggy" Franzén is Swedish.

Chilly Gonzales Le Botanique, 235 Rue Royale, Dec 22 www.botanique.be 
Best known for his collaborations with fellow Canadian Feist (or with fellow odd-ball Katerine), Gonzales has recently re-booted his solo career, set a world record for the longest solo-artist performance of all time (27 hours and 3 minutes!!) and started....rapping. 
He'll play in front of a seated Orangerie, doing what he calls a Piano-Talk-Show, mixing up his crazy piano skills and vast musical knowledge with strange and humorous lyrics. 
Not to be missed if you're looking for something different to do on the day before the day before the day before Christmas.

Cinematek  9 Rue Baron Horta, Brussels, www.cinematek.be
If you feel the need to get away from your in-laws or the rest of the overjoyed population during these festive times, the Cinematek offers the comfort of a dark retreat. On Christmas day you can see Mary Poppins, The Yellow Submarine and Amarcord and between features find entertainment in the small film museum. End the evening sipping a mighty Belgian Christmas beer in a typical Brussels bar around the corner. 'Tis the season.

Cascadeur Le Botanique, 236 Rue Royale, Brussels, December 14, www.botanique.be

Cascadeur is a friend of ours and a fellow Casablanca records artiste. Don't let his big crash helmet fool you. His music is very sensitive and elegant. A lot of this has to do with his unusual voice. We've had the chance to play shows with him and can tell you first-hand that his live sets are impressive. He has an uncanny ability to transport you into his own dreamlike universe. www.myspace.com/cascadeur

Urban Survivors Fnac, 17 a-20 Avenue de la Toison d’Or, Brussels, until Dec 31 www.urbansurvivors.org

2 Marie Pok, formerly director of Design September, is the new head of the design centre Grand-Hornu Images

 Arsène 50 BIP 2-4 Rue Royale, Brussels, www.arsene50.be 
It isn’t always easy to organise your evenings when you have a family and busy professional life. I'm a fan of Flagey and Théâtre Le Public in Brussels, but I usually don't plan in advance. I prefer to buy tickets on the spur of the moment and at half-price. The selection at Arsène 50 is quite good and attracts your attention to small productions in theatres or even cafés that are well worth discovering.

 Georges Dandin in Afrika,Théâtre Le Public, 64-70 Rue Braemt, Brussels, until Dec 31, www.theatrelepublic.be

 This is one play I’m going to be sure to reserve seats for in advance.

 Brazil.Brasil and Art in Brazil, Bozar, 23 Rue Ravenstein, Brussels until Jan 15, www.bozar.be  

It's the last occasion to visit these two major exhibition about art in Brazil, a country with a so rich history and with major developments in contemporary art and design right now!

 Objet préféré, Valerie Traan Gallery, 12 Reyndersstraat, Antwerp, until Jan 21 www.valerietraan.be

The exhibition was shown at Grand Hornu Images(it’s about the favourite everyday objects of Grand Hornu’s staff) and I've seen it several times, but I want to see it again in the context of this really nice gallery. For me Valerie Traan is the only real design ‘gallery’ that commissions special works from designers and architects. I'm sure the team of Fabrica will make a special and very nice installation there.

 Walter Van Beirendonck: Dream the World Awake, MoMu, 28 Nationalestraat, Antwerp, until Feb 19, www.momu.be

Antwerp is a great city. While I’m there to see Object préféré, I'll also visit the Walter Van Beirendonck retrospective at the fashion museum. I think Walter is the greatest of our fashion designers.

Toegepast 16: Les Nouveaux, Z33, 33 Zuivelmarkt,  Hasselt, until Feb 5, www.z33.be
An annual selection of five young designers with alternative practices in various fields (design, graphic design, textiles, jewellery). Always great! And near the museum, there is a wonderful sushi restaurant.

3 José Manuel Barroso is the President of the European Commission

Imperial Treasures: Flemish Masterpieces from Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum Groeningemuseum, Bruges, until Jan 15www.imperialtreasures.be

Flemish art is among my favourites and I greatly admire the Groeningemuseum collection. I will certainly visit this exhibition because it is not often that we can see all those painted masterpieces together.

Three Europalia.Brasil exhibitions:
Brazil.Brasil and Art in Brazil 1950-2011 Bozar, 23 Rue Ravenstein, Brussels until Jan 15
Terra Brasilis, ING Cultural Centre, 6 Place Royale, Brussels, until Feb 12, www.europalia.eu
I have a deep personal attachment to Brazil and I have  already visited these three exhibitions. When I participated in the inauguration of Europalia I saw Brazilian President Dilma Roussef moved when I referred to Brazil as a ‘cultural volcano’. And that is what this country really is – building on its amazing cultural diversity and vitality, it has not only agreat heritage but also one of the most vibrant cultural scenes today.

Cendrillon, Jules Massenet’s opera in a new production by Laurent Pelly,
La Monnaie, Place de la Monnaie, Dec 9-29, www.lamonnaie.be  

As part of the regular audience of La Monnaie, I fully shared in the pride and delight that came with its being named ‘Opera House of the Year’ this fall for the quality of its productions. I intend to see Cendrillon before Christmas.

Cesena, de Singel, 25 Desguinlei, Antwerp, Dec 17-20, www.desingel.be
I saw this latest production by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker  at La Monnaie in November and strongly recommend it.  She is a choreographer who is always exploring new possibilities in contemporary dance.

4 Architect Christian Kieckens studied in Ghent, lives and works in Brussels and teaches in Antwerp

Donald Judd Furniture  Greta Meert Gallery, 13Rue du Canal, Brussels, until Jan 14  www.gretameert.com

 The endless beauty of Judd's thinking about form and abstraction, now available in an unlimited edition of furniture.

 Objet préféré  Galerie Valerie Traan, 12 Reyndersstraat, Antwerp, until  Jan 21 www.valerietraan.be

 Everything’s to like here: the concept, the space, the choice of objects exhibited, the nice back garden, the owner.

 Coca Cola  Design Museum, 5 Jan Breydelstraat, Ghent, until Feb 26 http://design.museum.gent.be

 125 years of well thought-out industrial design linked to image and advertising for a single  product that’s known by 95 percent of the world’s population.

 Occupied , Brussels-Congrès Station, 40 Boulevard Pachéco, Brussels, until Jan 25 www.jonction.be

 Loop projection of an outstanding film by an outstanding conceptual artist, Peter Downsbrough, in a disused Brussels railroad station from 1940's.  
Dirk Braeckman Museum M, 28 Vanderkelenstraat, Leuven, until  Jan 8 www.mleuven.be

 Braeckman’s monumental photographic oeuvre gives onto a closed, isolated world and suggests stories without resorting to the illusions of the photographic medium.  
Galleriet, 128Vennestraat, Genk  www.galleriet.be

Small space dedicated to Danish-Flemish design, which has its roots in the industrial heritage of nearby Winterslag, a former mining site. More than an exclusively object-centred gallery Galleriet has devised its programme with regard to the diversity of local population.

5 Pascal Smet is the Flemish Minister for Education, Youth, Equal Opportunities and Brussels Affairs

The Architecture of Paulo Mendes de la Rocha Bozar, 23 Rue Ravenstein, Brussels, until Jan 15 www.bozar.be

Bozar is putting a strong emphasis on architecture this year, and, since Europalia this year is focusing on Brazil, it’s logical that they cover Brazilian architecture. All of which suits me very well, as it brings two of my passions together. Mendes de la Rocha is Brazil’s second Pritzker Prize winner, after Oscar Niemeyer.  He is known mainly for his impact on Sao Paulo and has given the city enormous value. His style is often referred to as Brazilian Brutalism due to its use of raw materials such as concrete and its appearance -- but only appearance -- of having been thrown together.

Niks of Niks by Jan Decorte, Kaaitheater, 20 Square Sainctelette, Brussels, Jan 12-14 (in Dutch) www.kaaitheater.be

Jan’s extremely compact texts really appeal to me. He succeeds in his own, simple way to bring the essence of Shakespeare to a large audience. I wonder what this adaptation of Much Ado about Nothing will bring, since the original is already of an unbearable lightness. But I like Jan’s approach, and if he is joined by Herwig Ilegemens, I want to be there.

Le Signal du Promeneur by the Raoul Collectif, Théâtre National,  110-115 Blvd Jacqmain, Brussels, Jan 10-20, www.theatrenatinoal.be

This show is programmed along the lines of ‘Toernee General’, a collaboration between Brussels’ two largest city theatres, the Flemish Community’s KVS and the French-speaking Community’s Théâtre National. They set up a program together and present what’s going on in each other’s community. I’ll try and free up time in my schedule to see this, although I have no idea what to expect. Funny how it remains difficult to stay in touch with what’s happening on the other side of the language frontier. At the very least in this show, that border fades away.

Kapitein Winokio and the Berenconcerten, Ancienne Belgique, 110 Ave Anspach, Brussels, Jan 6-8, www.abconcerts.be

I have a godchild, and I try to make time available to spend with him. Sometimes it’s just babysitting, but if possible I enjoy taking him to kids’ activities like the Bronksfestival or Supervlieg. But now Kapitein Winokio is coming to the AB, and that’s a joy both for children and myself -- although I admit that I don’t know the lyrics to his songs as well as the children do. He also brings guests, which makes his performances all that much more exciting. This year, Frank Vander Linden and Bart Peeters will be joining the Captain. And afterwards, it’s pancakes for me and my godson.  

6 Pierre Wynants, chef and former owner of Comme Chez Soi. Under his stewardship, the Brussels restaurant earned three Michelin stars every year from 1979 to 2006

The Adventures of Tintin : The Secret of the Unicorn  (the new Steven Spielberg film)

I always loved reading Tintin. It was part of my childhood, and rereading the  albums still gives me great pleasure. What’s more, I had the good fortune to meet Hergè when he came to our restaurant.

La Revue, Théâtre des Galeries, Galerie du Roi, Brussels, Dec 7 to Feb 5, www.trg.be 

We attend this clever revue every year to laugh and unwind. 

A Table!  Tour & Taxis, Brussels, until June 3, www.tourtaxis.be

This exhibition charts the evolution of cooking right through to the cuisine of the future.

Magritte  Magritte Museum, 1 Place Royale, Brussels, www.musee-magritte-museum.be

I’ve always liked this painter for the atmosphere he created in his works. 

7 Paul Buekenhout is the director of Het Beschrijf, the Brussels-based platform for international literature, writers and translators

Cesena,  the latest choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, created with Bjorn Schmelzer, director of the early music ensemble Graindelavoix. De Singel, Antwerp, December 17, www.desingel.be

I’m not especially a dance lover, but I do like to see a performance from time to time. This one particularly interests me because I’ve read wonderful reviews about it. I’m just curious to go and see it with my own eyes.

deFilharmonie, directed by Philippe Herreweghe, peforms two Haydn symphonies and a concerto for violin and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.  Bozar, Brussels, December 22, www.bozar.be

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a Philippe Herreweghe concert. This one seems a perfect choice for entering into the Christmas period in a festive way.

Alexandra Cool – Moments of Writing Photography exhibition, Passaporta, 46 Rue A Dansaert, Brussels, December 13 to January 19, www.passaporta.be
I know Alexandra’s work well, but for this particular exhibition, she is combining pictures of nature with portraits of writers, and I’m intrigued to see what combinations will be made.  

MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), Antwerp, www.maas.be

Up until now, I have only seen this new museum on the river from the outside. I’ve been wanting to visit and see the collection ever since it opened.